The Fountain
by NekoJinx
Summary: When our three favourite bishies and Kuwabara are sent on a false mission to the Makai’s desert, they come across a problem…they can’t get back! Now it’s up to Botan and her ‘squad’ to go after them and face several bizarre challenges along t
1. Default Chapter

The Fountain  
  
NJ: Hiya everybody! ::crickets chirp:: Aah, the crickets...gotta love 'em...SHUT UP! ::silence:: Better...  
  
Summary: When our three favourite bishies and Kuwabara are sent on a false mission to the Makai's desert, they come across a problem...they can't get back! Now it's up to Botan and her 'squad' to go after them and face several bizarre challenges along the way! Who is her 'squad' and what's wrong with the mission? Will they ever get back? Will I ever shut up? All will be revealed...  
  
NJ: I know I haven't finished 'Attitude Adjustment' or 'Pyromaniac of DOOM', or what's soon to be a book of one-shots or my soon to be guidebook...I've said too much already... ::duct-tapes her mouth shut::  
  
Kurama: What about the disclaimer?  
  
NJ: Mmph onf bonf uu uu aupho...  
  
Kurama: NJ doesn't own us...or the idea of mission impossible...  
  
NJ: Aww...fammii!  
  
Chapter 1: Mission Impossible  
  
"You suck..."  
  
"No, you suck..."  
  
"You suck more..."  
  
"No, you do Urameshi!"  
  
"NO, YOU DO!  
  
"THAT'S IT! YOU'RE SO GOING DOWN!"  
  
"BRING IT ON!"  
  
"BAKAS! Just shut up!"  
  
It was a day of blistering heat in the Makai and the Rekai Tantei were standing in a desert of indiscernible expanse looking around for a supposedly huge castle. Kurama was fanning himself and was very near the point of just taking his shirt off (a/n Yay!), Hiei was burning, because, as you should know, black absorbs/attracts light...poor Hiei...and Yusuke and Kuwabara were trying to contact Rekai...Well Yusuke was trying to contact Rekai while Kuwabara complicated his efforts. The bottom line was, they were stuck because on the communicator, Rekai was just a mass of fuzzy, grey lines...(a/n damn static...)  
  
"What's up with this thing?!" Yusuke demanded loudly. No ideas were issued from the group, so Yusuke sighed and continued his feeble attempts to contact Koenma or even Botan.  
  
-------Meanwhile, in Rekai--------------  
  
"-Noohnonohnoohnoohnoohno-"  
  
"Koenma-sama?" Botan walked up to the panicking prince out of curiosity.  
  
"Botan! We have a problem- a big problem- no, a major problem- no, a majorly HUGE problem! I've lost the detectives..."  
  
"Lost them?" she asked with wide eyes, "How?"  
  
"I received some information about an organisation attempting to bring the Makai to power, so of course I sent out Yusuke, but the thing is...I sent them to the Makai's Desert..." Botan gasped and covered her mouth,  
  
"A one-way portal?" Botan whispered and Koenma nodded. Looking up at her suddenly with eyes shining with hope, he changed into his teenage form and got down on his knees, with his hands clasped before him, he begged her to do something to retrieve them before his father found out about it. Botan stepped back, before muttering something about gathering the 'squad' and 'going to the rescue', and Koenma hugged her around her waist, while yelling 'thank yous' at her until she fled the room. Koenma then quickly composed himself, got up and started towards his desk, then, as an afterthought, turned to the quivering oni in the corner,  
  
"None of what you heard or saw happened, got it?" he said coldly,  
  
"H-hai, Koenma-sama!"  
  
"I thought so..."  
  
Tsuzuku...  
  
NJ: What do you think? Please R&R and no flames!  
  
Kurama: Hayai, onegai... (Hurry, please...)  
  
NJ: Eh? Naze? (Why?)  
  
Kurama: Because it is VERY hot in the desert...  
  
NJ: Souka... (I see...) 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Who?  
  
NJ: Hiya and thanks to all those who reviewed!  
  
Disclaimer: If a thirteen year old like me owned Yu Yu Hakusho, then, trust me, it would suck and you wouldn't watch/read it...So there, I don't own it...  
  
Chapter 2: Who?  
  
"Heeellllooooo? Where is everybody?" Botan was gliding down hallways on her oar and searching for the rest of her squad, but there was nobody to be seen, not even an ogre. "How odd...Imagine if somebody came out and heard me talking to myself...they'd think I'm mad! But where is everybody? If I'm going to get the guys back, I'll need help! But where to get it..." suddenly a small lavender piece of paper fell from her kimono to the floor and when she doubled back to get it, she paused and a smile spread across her features, "Of course..." abandoning the now unfolded letter, she zoomed off in search of her new squad. A flowing yet simple signature on the letter could be seen by any passers-by. It read 'Yukina'...  
  
-----With The Boys-----  
  
"I'm thirsty."  
  
"..."  
  
"I'm hungry."  
  
"..."  
  
"I'm tired."  
  
"...-.-#..."  
  
"Are we there yet?"  
  
"Grrrrr..."  
  
"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we-"  
  
"KUWABARA! SHUT UP!"  
  
"...What'd I do?..." Yusuke looked like he was about to explode and the heat wasn't helping, although it was almost sunset.  
  
"Perhaps we should set up some sort of camp?" Kurama suggested quietly, but Yusuke needed someone intelligent enough to understand an insult, to vent his anger upon, and it just so happened to be the kitsune who spoke first.  
  
"Well yes, that would be a good plan," he started, "IF WE HAD ANYTHING TO ::BLEEPING:: MAKE CAMP WITH!" Kurama didn't answer. He knew that Yusuke just needed to let off a little steam and a frustrated Yusuke in battle was a dumb Yusuke; what they needed was a calm Yusuke who thought (a little) before rushing in. Panting a little, Yusuke smiled gratefully at Kurama,  
  
"Thanks, buddy, I needed that..." Kurama just shrugged,  
  
"I know." After all who wouldn't want to scream at somebody after being beaten senseless by Kayko, called in for a mission on a Saturday, beaten by Kayko yet again, dealing with Kuwabara, unable to find the whole reason for everything in his list, being stuck in the desert, stuck in the heat and unable to contact anybody to get them out of this mess...That would just suck.  
  
"Hey guys, is that a...forest?" Kuwabara spoke up, looking into the distance and shielding his eyes from the sun's glaring rays.  
  
"Baka! Forests don't grow in the middle of a friggin' desert!" Yusuke shouted and hit the baka's head. Kurama broke up a fight before it began,  
  
"It isn't a forest, but if it isn't a collective mirage then it's quite possibly an oasis..." he was met with blank looks and sighed.  
  
"He means there might be food and water, bakas." The said bakas them cheered and took off in what they thought was the direction of the watery goodness. Kurama gave Hiei a look,  
  
"Do you think we should tell them?"  
  
"No" And they headed in the opposite direction, the direction of the oasis...  
  
------With Botan----  
  
"Yukina! Yukina! Yukina!" Botan yelled as she soared down more halls. Yukina's head popped out of a doorway and her eyes widened before she dodged back inside, narrowly avoiding decapitation.  
  
Botan spun around, but the oar was still going backwards and she ended up tumbling into many cardboard boxes lying at the end of the hall,  
  
"Botan? Daijobu desu ne? (trans: Are you alright)  
  
"Hai...Look at the yellow birdies!... Aren't they pretty?..." She shook her head, "Yukina! I need your help! The boys are stuck in the Makai Desert and you must help me save them!" Yukina blanched and began to tremble,  
  
"W-what can I d-do? I d-don't even know how t-to fight!" she stammered,  
  
"But what about Hiei and Kazuma? They might be stuck there forever if you don't help!" those words struck a chord somewhere deep inside Yukina's soul and a sweeping look of resolution came over her face as she refused to accept them.  
  
'Hiei-sama and Kazuma-kun both risked their lives to save me and I can finally repay my debt to them...I must help!'  
  
"I'll do it!" she whispered and Botan nodded,  
  
"Get on, we must collect the others!" Botan was up upon her oar again but this time with Yukina at her back...  
  
----The Bakas----  
  
"So hot..."  
  
"So thirsty..."  
  
"...Hey Urameshi? Where're Kurama and the Shrimp?" The two of them were crawling on the ground and the sun still hadn't set!  
  
"Huh? They're right...behind...us...? Where'd they go?!" Yusuke jumped up and looked wildly around for the bishies, "This is not good..." Somewhere in the distance among the many cacti, a coyote howled...  
  
-----Bishies------  
  
"This is a BIG oasis"  
  
"Hn..."  
  
"Do we still have a chance to find it tonight?"  
  
"...No..."  
  
"Wow, you're talkative today..."  
  
"...Kitsune no baka..."  
  
Kurama and Hiei had finally reached the oasis and were apparently exhausted from the heat, the running and the lack of food (a/n NJ ::cough,sweetsnow,cough::) and water, so they decided to rest and find the water in the morning.  
  
Later that night, Hiei felt a presence that stood out from the beasts' of the desert and he didn't like it one bit. He let his senses roam for a moment to locate the intruder- there! He had found them. They were standing beneath a tall palm tree, calmly observing him and his kitsune companion sleep. The hooded figure had a humanoid shape and began to sway to some music that only they seemed to be able to hear. Hiei waited until the person, presumably a demon, let their guard and pounced upon them, with his hand gripped firmly about their throat. The hood fell to reveal the face of a teenage girl with crimson eyes and long purple and silver hair.  
  
"Onna, what are you doing?" Hiei asked her with a deathly cold voice, his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits of malice as he tightened his already choking grip. The girl smiled at him and seemed to slip through his fingers in the form of silvery dust. Hiei blinked curiously, he was covered with the dust,  
  
'She was cute, was she not?'  
  
'No!'  
  
'Go on, admit it, she was cute...'  
  
'Hell no!'  
  
'Really...'  
  
'Alright, maybe a little...'  
  
"Fun to manipulate? Certainly..."  
  
Tsuzuku...  
  
NJ: Not a Mary-Sue I assure you! There was a purpose to the last part, Hiei hasn't gone mushy! But who was that mysterious girl and why was she watching our bishies? Who was it that spoke? Hmmm...You'll see...R&R And NO FLAMES! Thankyou  
  
Note: I need you to vote for pairings! The Rulez: No Yaoi/ Shounen ai/ Shoujo ai! 


	3. Chapter 3

NJ: MWAHAHAHAHA...Ha...ha...Never mind...what do you want, hentai?  
  
Yusuke: Who, me? What have I ever done to you that's hentai?  
  
NJ: AHEM!  
  
Yusuke: Wha? ::looks behind him::  
  
NJ: Is that KEIKO's lingerie stuck to your back?  
  
Yusuke: Umm...No? ::sweatdrop::  
  
NJ: You've been in her underwear drawer again, haven't you?  
  
Yusuke: Ehehehe...About that-  
  
NJ: Do the disclaimer and I won't tell her.  
  
Yusuke: NJ owns nothing except this idea and any characters you don't recognise from the anime/manga Yu Yu Hakusho.  
  
NJ: ::sigh:: on with the fic...THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!  
  
Chapter 3: Summon the troops and prepare for battle!  
  
"Keiko!"  
  
"Botan? Yukina? What are you doing here? And have you seen Yusuke? He skipped school again...I thought he might be here..."  
  
Botan and Yukina had been searching for Keiko for the past hour and they had finally found her at the arcade where Yusuke usually hangs out.  
  
"Keiko, you remember when you and I learned archery and then you liked it so much that Yusuke brought a bow for you from the Makai? It's finally gonna come in handy..." Botan told her and received a curious expression from the ningen. She then quickly explained the situation with the boys and why Yukina was with her.  
  
"So you want me to come to the Makai with you to save the guys?" Botan and Yukina nodded, "Alright! Just let me get my bow... But who else is coming?" Keiko asked suddenly as she counted them,  
  
"It's just us and a friend of mine who's keeping an eye on them for me, so that's four people." Botan said cheerfully and Yukina and Keiko sweatdropped,  
  
"We barely know how to defend ourselves and we're going ALONE to the MAKAI?!"  
  
"No, my friend can fight and I can defend myself, and you two will get better as we go along..." Botan looked at the two pale girls strangely, as if it had been the most obvious thing in the world, "Ikkouzou! (Let's go!)" Yukina and Keiko didn't look too convinced however and seemed to be having second thoughts about the adventure.  
  
----The Bakas----  
  
The two bakas continued to walk in the hopes that they would somehow magically end up wherever the two bishies had disappeared to and find food and water in the process. Apparently that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Kuwabara was staring at his feet as he walked and suddenly sat down, lifted his foot to his nose, sniffed it, and ravenously tried to devour it (for you Hazard!). Yusuke sweatdropped and backed away from his delirious friend, who was currently trying to get him to join him in his feast of 'roast foot', Yusuke graciously declined the offer with 'WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! YOU NEED THAT TO WALK AND THERE IS NO WAY IN THE SEVEN HELLS THAT I'M CARRYING YOU!' Kuwabara gave him a pitying look and shook his head, believing that his friend had surely gone senile in his age and continued chewing his foot...  
  
---The Bishies---  
  
Hiei, in a sleepy haze, kept glancing towards the spot where that girl had been, almost as if he feared her return, but since that couldn't be it, he must have been bored out of his wits. Kurama was sleeping peacefully under a tree nearby...it was a wonder he hadn't woken when 'she' came. A thought suddenly came unbidden to Hiei's mind and the more he thought about it the more it made sense, the dust...he was covered in it...he was sleepy...the kitsune hadn't woken up, yet she was closer to him...Scooting closer to his comrade, he noticed the gold and silver particles that covered his form. Hiei looked up at the tree that towered above Kurama and formed an idea of what the girl had been doing,  
  
'She must have sent the kitsune to sleep from the tree... but she didn't bother with me until I attacked her...what was she up to? What was her objective? Who was she...?' Hiei's thoughts trailed off, while slowly but surely sleep took hold of his consciousness and his head dropped onto his chest.  
  
"Awww...How kawaii is that?!" a walkie-talkie like voice crackled into life with what sounded like very little signal,  
  
"::crackle:: Get...On...::crackle:: With...It! ::crackle::"  
  
"You're breaking up, but I'll do it in a sec...I wanna watch these two for a while first..." The crackled voice sighed and there was an audible 'click' as the object was turned off. The stars were out now and the full moon shone with all its glory,  
  
"Now, it's my time to shine..." Passing the red head, the girl paused, cocked her to one side and smiled,  
  
"Wow...maybe she was right when she said I wouldn't regret this!" with those words dying on her lips she dove off into the night to find her next victims...  
  
Tsuzuku...  
  
NJ: What is that girl up to? Hmm...I know but I'm not telling you yet! Don't you just hate cliffys? Yup, me too, but they're so fun to write! Also, I'm sorry about the short chapter, it will get longer though!  
  
What will happen to Kurama and Hiei? Who will be the next victims? Who is that girl? Why is Kurama always asleep? All shall be revealed...if I get enough reviews!  
  
The pairings stand as: Hiei/Botan Kurama/girl Yusuke/Keiko Kuwabara/Yukina  
  
You read my mind! But I'm still taking votes and the majority wins! R&R and please don't flame me! 


	4. Chapter 4

NJ: Thank you to the OH-SO-MANY reviewers of the last chapter...(sarcasm)  
  
No, really, thank you to those few who bothered, unlike SOME people...As I'm told I'm not allowed to respond to reviewers and that fics are being deleted for authors notes, I would just like to thank one person:  
  
HazardousToYourHealth for reviewing every one of my chaps and mentioning my stories in her own. Also for writing such a brill story (not to mention the best reviews that I've ever read) and inspiring me to become a better author and write more. She was also the first person to put me in her favourite author/story list...THANKS HAZARD! So to the rest of you, GO READ HER STORIES DAMN IT!!!  
  
NJ: ::bows:: But right now I'm so depressed...  
  
Kurama: What about, NJ?  
  
NJ: ::whispers::  
  
Kurama: ::eyes widen:: Wow...Reviews will make you feel better though, won't they?  
  
NJ: ::nod, nod::  
  
Kurama: ::holds up sign:: R&R to cheer up NJ! ::starts pacing::  
  
Yusuke: ::watching Kurama's progress:: NJ doesn't own YYH...Hey Kurama, where'd you get that sign?  
  
Chapter 4: Villains, allies...I'm so confused...  
  
"KEIKO! HURRY UP!"  
  
"Hold your horses, I just need this last arrow..." Yukina sighed heavily, walked over to Keiko and pointed out the arrow in some obscure place...say, in the freezer? Keiko laughed nervously,  
  
"How did that get there? Ehehehe..." Botan glared, and Yukina shook her head trying to dismiss the contagious baka-ness that Yusuke had infected Keiko with.  
  
"Alright! Let's go already!"  
  
----The Bishies----  
  
...Were still sleeping.  
  
"...ZzZzZzZz..." ...You get my point...  
  
----The Anonymous Girl----  
  
She landed gracefully onto the warm sand, the impact sending out little clouds to cover up her tracks as she darted off again in the direction of her easy victims. A few small desert lizards witnessed her passing by a cool breeze, and the kicked up sand. She kept checking a small compact communicator for some signal of her...allies. Friend was such a strong word for these people. The girl caught sight of two dark silhouettes out of the corner of her eye and veered to the left to change direction. She had to catch them by surprise, she didn't want a confrontation or she would have to hurt them.  
  
"Finally..." she whispered, words lost in the oncoming wind, "I get to have some fun" She tackled the first to the ground, causing the other to arouse and disappeared above them,  
  
'An aerial attack is the only way to go' she remembered fondly, being told by a thief, a reasonably good thief, but compared to the infamous Youko Kurama and Kuronue, he was a clumsy oaf and made a lot of mistakes, one that even cost him his life.  
  
She came down with a swift strike to both of their heads. There was no escape. They were her prey. They were in her territory. They were out cold before they knew what hit them.  
  
---The bakas---  
  
When we left our bakas, a coyote was howling, Baka1 (aka Kuwabara) was chewing his foot and Baka2 was spazzing out to the point of hair-gel melt down. Suddenly Yusuke was shoved down to the ground and when he and Kuwabara looked, there was nothing there. A quiet whistle of steel as it cut through the air sounded above them and they fell to the ground, as they were, unconscious. The girl drew her hood about her face and shuddered as she leant down to drag them away. With a smile she purposely took them through the many cactus fields dotted around the empty plain.  
  
----Many hours later----  
  
"Finally...made it..." she panted as she reached the oasis of the bishies with spiny bakas in tow. Kuwabara was still curled up with his foot in his mouth and now looked like a hedgehog, while Yusuke just looked spiny. A light pink tinted the sky as she looked up and scowled. Kurama's eyes fluttered open for a moment and She almost gasped at the colour of his eyes. Unintentionally piecing together his good looks, some rather...naughty thoughts entered her mind...  
  
Hiei was waking up also and, eh, read her mind and almost gagged,  
  
"YOU! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" he growled unsheathing his katana and she just smiled like she did last time. Kurama looked surprised as he watched her and vaguely wondered what Hiei was talking about, as he was pretty certain that he had never seen her before.  
  
She just cocked her head to one side and wagged her finger from side to side in a mocking manner before pointing out a particular space on the floor and stepping away from it. Hiei ignored it and followed her movements very carefully until a loud bang arrested his attention and woke up the bakas. A wide portal had erupted from where the girl had pointed and out came Keiko, Yukina and Botan in a tangled heap. Hiei looked back to where the girl had stood and was met with empty air. Kurama had been the only one to see her leave; she had put her index finger to her lips in a silencing gesture and given him a real smile, unlike what she gave to Hiei, which was more of a smirk. She had then darted up into a tree behind her and Kurama could feel her crimson eyes watching them closely. He was more or less utterly confused.  
  
"Oww...Botan, you're sitting on me..."  
  
"Oh, gomen Yukina..."  
  
"Uggh..."  
  
"KEIKO?!"  
  
"YUKINA?!"  
  
"BOTAN!!! WHY DID YOU BRING THEM HERE?!"  
  
"TO HELP YOU!!!"  
  
Kurama, Botan, Keiko, Yukina, Kuwabara & Yusuke: ::are marching about with signs and chanting:: R&R to cheer up NJ! R&R to cheer up NJ!  
  
Hiei: Baka kitsune, baka ferry girl, baka onna, ... , baka, baka detective...::types review::  
  
NJ: Who is She? Do you care? Will Hiei really write a review? Will the tantei kill her? Can she actually talk? Will this fic ever end? Will I ever shut up? Maybe...All shall be revealed in the next instalment of THE FOUNTAIN!  
  
Sorry for the itsy bitsy chapter size and probably the lack of humour...also the events in the summary haven't started yet, so please be patient. Also any fluff will be clearly marked so you can avoid them if you so choose. Please R&R and flamers will either be ignored or ignited, depends upon my mood... 


	5. chapter 5

NJ: My moment of sadness has come to an end, thanks to all your reviews!  
  
Jujik: What reviews?  
  
NJ: Shut up...  
  
Marissa: Will I be in this story?  
  
NJ: Hmm, let me check...::checks manuscript:: Yes...  
  
Marissa: YAY  
  
NJ: In fact you need to get ready!  
  
Marissa: ::gets ready::  
  
NJ: By the way, I hope this long chapter makes up for the short last chapter!  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing but this idea and the girl who is to be named...  
  
Chapter 5: WhoWhatWhenWhyWhere and possibly How...  
  
"WE DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!!!"  
  
(Keiko/Yusuke fluff)  
  
"OH YEAH, YUSUKE?! JUST HOW WERE YOU PLANNING TO DATE ME IF YOU COULDN'T EVEN GET TO THE NINGENKAI, HUH?!"  
  
"IF I WANTED TO GO BACK I WOULD- Huh? What did you say about a date, Keiko?" Keiko blushed and turned away,  
  
"I-I didn't- OH SHUT UP YUSUKE!"  
  
(End fluff)  
  
"ME?! YOU'RE THE ONE YELLING WHY DON'T YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH?!"  
  
"HOW-MMMPH MGND! mmmfph?" Yukina walked past the bickering couple after freezing both of their mouths shut,  
  
"Please stop, you are giving me a headache..." Hiei stopped trying to grab the air where 'she' had been and smirked slightly,  
  
'I knew the evil streak was in her somewhere!' he thought and fought the urge to cheer, both for the silence and for Yukina's rebellious act.  
  
Kurama was openly smiling and decided to question the group about that girl but Botan beat him to the chase,  
  
"I guess the girls weren't needed after all, but I couldn't be too careful. Right, guys, you have accidentally been sent to the Makai Desert-"  
  
"Dessert? Where?" Hedgehog had finally got his foot out of his mouth and was drooling at the prospect of having an icy ice cream.  
  
"No, I said 'desert' as in lots of sand, sun, dangerous animals, heat...cacti?" she added after observing the bakas condition and smiled in realization,  
  
"Yeah, anyway, our portals don't work in this region, so we have to lead you to the nearest rip area in the worlds to get you back. Have you seen a girl? About, maybe, 5'5' with long purple hair and red eyes?" She looked hopefully at the boys and Hiei gave her an odd look,  
  
"That girl was here right before you came and I think she is still here."  
  
"Ah, that's good...Did any of you see where she went?"  
  
"Up that tree." Kurama pointed out the tree, trying to look through the leaves and branches to see a crouching figure, but he didn't have x-ray eyes so it was a 'no-go'. Botan nodded in thanks and walked over to the said tree. Leaning against the thick trunk, she called up into the leaves,  
  
"Rei-chan, are you up there?" There was no answer to her query apart from the uncomfortable shuffle of the leaves. Botan thought for a moment, glanced back at her group, and turned back to the tree,  
  
"I'm sorry. Reiya-sama, are you there? If you are, can you please come down? My friends won't attack you, so you need not be on the defensive..." Botan's voice was hopeful and she was rewarded when 'Reiya' climbed slowly down the tree, keeping watchful crimson eyes on the figures behind her 'ally'.  
  
"It's good to see you in person, Captain..."  
  
"Long time no see! But, please, lay off the formalities, OK?" Botan was grinning from ear to ear and placing an arm around Reiya's neck, she steered the girl into the significantly larger group of people and began to introduce them,  
  
"This is Hiei the Irritable Jagenshi, Yusuke the Smart-Ass Pervert, Kuwabara the Baka Ningen, Keiko the Smart Ningen, Yukina the Polite Koorime and Kurama the Kitsune Thief." And before anyone could object to their titles, she continued, "Guys, this is Reiya...She's a friend."  
  
----FLASHBACK----  
  
Botan had just been given one of her first missions; it was to take a youkai's soul to the Rekai to be judged. Botan had been informed that this youkai had to die even if she had to kill them herself, so off she went with a determination that could rival a charging bull's. Unfortunately she ran into some trouble on the way. In the area where her 'client' was, a large group of (ugly) demons had conjugated,  
  
"Hey, what's a pretty thing like you doing all alone? Need some help? We'd be happy to help...for a price!" Botan instantly knew she was in trouble and whacked the demon into a nearby tree, but that just made the others grip her by the arms and hold her still.  
  
The demon got up and stumbled backwards again, causing the tree to shake and a figure to fall out of the branches,  
  
"OI! CAN'T A GIRL GET A DECENT SLEEP AROUND HERE?!" The figure was a girl wearing a loose, black, Chinese outfit with a dragon winding up the side. Her long purple hair was tied in a high ponytail and her crimson eyes were flashing dangerously at the demon. She had clearly been asleep in that tree until she fell out. Pulling out a silver staff from behind her back, she fumbled around with the hand positions until it felt right and her stance was that of an amateur fighter.  
  
The demons laughed at what they saw as no threat and turned their backs on her...that was their greatest mistake and their last.  
  
After the demons were felled, the girl turned to Botan and gasped in horror.  
  
"Y-you!" She pointed, "You'll never catch me alive! Or dead!" and she ran away, Botan, however got on her oar and chased her, catching her in almost no time and pinning her to the ground.  
  
"What the Hell did I do to deserve this?! I don't wanna die! I'm too young to leave my body! For Kami's sake, I'm ONLY 150!" She cried out, but Botan had no intention of killing her now, especially after she saved her life,  
  
"I'm not going to kill you on several conditions;" Botan waited for the girl to nod and then continued, "The first is that you tell me your name so I can thank you for saving my life and the other is that you become my friend!" Botan was a very cheery person but never really seemed to make friends, so she took the opportunity as it was presented to her.  
  
The girl blinked,  
  
"You're the grim reaper? You want to know my name and for me to be your friend?" She asked incredulously and Botan nodded enthusiastically. The girl pushed Botan off of her back and shrugged,  
  
"Sure, why not? My name's Reiya and if you want to be my...friend...then never, ever, EVER tackle me like that again! What's your name?" Botan sweatdropped, the girl had mood swings like her own,  
  
"Botan!" They shook hands.  
  
----END FLASHBACK----  
  
Botan laughed as she told the story and Reiya laughed as well, they both acted like idiots when they were younger.  
  
"Anyway, Rei-chan is going to lead us out of here, aren't you Rei-chan?" Botan said and Rei nodded. With much urging from the boys, they started walking towards the exit of this desolate land and swapped stories on the way.  
  
---Later---  
  
The sun had set and the moon and stars rose into the sky above the travelling group around a cheery fire. Rei looked up into the sky, searching for the moon's status and smiled when she saw it was different from the full moon yesterday. She pointed it out to Botan who also smiled,  
  
"Tonight?"  
  
"Yup!"  
  
"What's tonight?" The boys (and girls) had been listening in the friends for a while,  
  
"My regular form disappears on nights when the moon is full and reappears when it changes." Reiya replied and shifted to the side slightly, "Do I look any different?"  
  
The Tantei looked hard; the long purple hair was still tied back and she was wearing the same Chinese outfit with the same staff at her back. Her crimson eyes were the same...but something was different...  
  
Rei laughed knocked Yusuke on the head...without moving? No, Yusuke looked even closer and noticed the tip of a sky blue dragon tail hovering above hair head...and looking at her head, two sky blue, water dragon ears drew attention to themselves in her purple hair and Yusuke fell back in surprise.  
  
"A water dragon?!" He asked in shock and she got up. The ears were like fins and webbed and the tail swished behind her with a fin at the end. She nodded,  
  
"A water demon in the desert. How ironic. And let me guess, you're no water _dragon_, you're a water _spirit_ aren't you?" (inside joke) Kurama said suddenly, drawing attention to himself and Rei laughed,  
  
"A sharp one, that you are!"  
  
Botan smiled and let her eyes wander over to Hiei and Yukina.  
  
Hiei was demonstrating something with fire at Yukina's request and she was staring on in awe. She was an ice demon but she just loved to watch fire and Hiei could manipulate it perfectly. She sat there in admiration and when he stopped, her thoughts drifted to her brother, who was he? What was he like? Was he like Hiei? Yukina smiled at that thought and held onto it. Hiei would make a perfect brother...  
  
Hiei noticed Botan's stare and she looked away, blushing madly. Caught red handed Botan glared at her friend, currently looking into her eyes and toying with her thoughts, and stood up and, in a loud voice began to proclaim,  
  
"REI HAS A CRUSH ON KUR-" she was pulled to the ground and sat on by a large blue dragon (long Chinese one) with a red chest. The dragon changed back into Rei, sitting cross-legged on Botan's back, and she smiled yet again,  
  
"She meant nothing by that, folks!" she looked down at Botan, "Did you?" Botan shook her head, "Good...now I'm going to sleep!" She announced and jumped into a tree. Soon her head appeared upside down from the leaves,  
  
"By the way, don't touch, eat or drink anything without reading the labels first. That is all!" And she disappeared from view. Yusuke shrugged, Keiko began to lie out some bed things, Hiei disappeared, Yukina had fallen asleep listening to Kuwabara, Botan was thinking and Kurama was lying against a tree.  
  
---The next day---  
  
"Here we are! Captain, get Koenma to open the portal now, since it will take ages to form here..." the Tantei etc had been walking in the HUGE oasis for a few hours and the boys were extremely thirsty.  
  
"If it's going to take ages, then me and Kuwabara will go and find water...Who else wants some?" Yusuke said as he began walking away with the baka in tow.  
  
"I'll have some..."  
  
"Hn..."  
  
"So only Kurama and the Shrimp?" Kuwabara asked and counted them, the girls said they weren't thirsty because they had just drunk some water.  
  
"Remember, read the labels!" Rei warned them and they walked away. Rei sighed.  
  
---The Bakas---  
  
There's a fountain around here somewhere...I saw it...Ah, there!" Yusuke found what he was looking for and Kuwabara gasped at the beautiful sight,  
  
A fountain stood in a clearing from the thick palm trees and vines and poured out delicious looking, cold water. The bakas darted over and began to drink their fill, before taking out bottles for their companions and filling them. They then marched away proudly, ignoring the stone slab with a warning etched onto the surface...  
  
---Back at Wherever---  
  
Kuwabara handed out he two bottles and Kurama and Hiei also drank. Rei was lying against a tree, sleeping again, her tail twitching occasionally, while all the others played cards. Hiei and Kuwabara were throwing insults, when suddenly Hiei's voice changed pitch. From a low growl, it rose to a high squeak and everyone stared at him, Rei cracked an eye open the glance at him, before going back to sleep.  
  
"What the he-lll" His voice went back and forth between his usually deep voice and this high childish squeak. Suddenly...  
  
Tsuzuku...(to be continued)  
  
NJ: BWAHAHAHA! R&R to find out what happens!!! The joke is that 'Rei' means spirit, so there ya go! I personally don't think this chapter was very good, but it had to be done!  
  
Ja'  
  
NJ 


End file.
